japan running news

For Immediate Release NEW YORK, September 18, 2013 - A quartet of past champions— Kurt Fearnley of Australia, Edith Wolf-Hunkeler of Switzerland, Ernst van Dyk of South Africa and returning men's champion, Masazumi Soejima of Japan —will lead a powerhouse field of international stars at the ING New York City Marathon wheelchair race, it was announced today by NYRR officials.  Also announced were Canadian star and marathon all-conditions world record-holder Josh Cassidy , 2013 Boston Marathon men's champion Hiroyuki Yamamoto  of Japan and women’s wheelchair pioneer Louise Sauvage of Australia. They join a formidable lineup of previously announced USA contenders for the November 3 race, including reigning Boston and Virgin London champion  Tatyana McFadden , London Paralympic marathon gold medalist Shirley Reilly  and two-time New York City Marathon champion and course record-holder  Amanda McGrory . On the men's side, Josh George , ...

by Brett Larner 81 year-old Keizo Yamada, the 1953 Boston Marathon winner, returned to this year's race on Apr. 20. Yamada successfully finished his 18th Boston in 6:16:56 after a first half of 2:33:29. Universal Sports reports that Yamada intends this year's running to be his last. A laughably slow women's race gave Team Toto's Tomoe Yokoyama and amateur runner Hiroko Sho some unexpected international camera exposure as they ran at the head of the elite women's pack in the earliest stages of the race. Yokoyama had suffered injuries since winning February's Ome Marathon 30 km road race and hoped only to break 2:40, meaning that the lead pack's speed throughout the first 10 km of the race suited her fine. As the pace crept glacially forward Sho drifted away, but Yokoyama moved to the front and alternated the lead with veteran American Colleen de Reuck. Only nearing halfway, for which Yokoyama clocked 1:19:59, did she begin to lose contact, eventually fading ...